The city of Hopkins, Minnesota is temporarily adopting the name “Paige Bueckers, Minnesota” on Friday, the day the Dallas Wings rookie makes her WNBA debut. Not a lot of athletes get this type of honor, and even Bueckers herself couldn’t believe it is really happening.
“I truly thought it was fake news,” Bueckers told CBS Sports. “I saw it on social media one day and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is just like the troll page, I don’t believe it.’ But somebody, a friend, texted me a screenshot. I was like, ‘Bro, this is crazy. I can’t believe it.'”
Bueckers said she saw a post on social media asking if someone who is born in Hopkins that day will officially be from Paige Bueckers, Minnesota. Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon laughed and said it was a great question that still doesn’t have an answer.
“I have not looked into that,” Hanlon said. “They might have been born in Paige Bueckers, Minnesota. We are going to have to figure that out.”
The mayor’s office wasted no time in honoring Bueckers, as the process was officially initiated with the writing of the proclamation the day after she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Wings.
“We had talked about doing something to commemorate the day, and usually that involves doing a proclamation before council,” Hanlon explained. “So that really came from the staff. It was like, ‘Let’s take this as a notch up because this is really quite an achievement, going No. 1 in the WNBA Draft.’ And so we took it a step further and decided to name the town after her for the day.”
Bueckers was also the No. 1-ranked high school player of the class of 2020 after a successful career at Hopkins High School, where she became the school’s all-time leader in points (2,877), assists (795) and steals (574). She followed that up by winning multiple Player of the Year awards during her freshman year at UConn, and she ended her college career as a national champion.
Hanlon said Bueckers’ hometown was not only proud of her basketball accomplishments, but also the way she represents Hopkins in other ways.
“She’s not only a superstar, but also just an amazing team player,” Hanlon said. “It really just lifts up the teams that she’s on, and I think that’s another good reason to name a city after her for a day. She’s a great representation in that way, and also a great representation off the court.
“She’s done a lot of things at the school, bringing in a free grocery store at the school while she was here. She donates to the Hopkins Education Foundation. I was recently at their year-end gala and she had made some donations there. So she’s just a great all-around person. We’re very proud of her.”
Bueckers’ debut, ironically against the Minnesota Lynx, will take place in Dallas. However, Hopkins will be cheering her on with a community-wide watch party that includes local businesses offering themed specials. One of the main events will be the Hopkins Education Foundation hosting an event at the Hopkins High School cafeteria. Here is an official list of ways Hopkins is celebrating the day.
While Bueckers is still processing the fact that she will have a whole city named after her, she is excited to share the moment with others and hopes the spotlight is not just on her.
“I have so much love for the state of Minnesota and the city of Hopkins,” Bueckers said. “They’ve made me who I am today. There are so many people in that city and in that state who shaped me and have been a part of my journey to get to where I’m at. I don’t think about it as ‘Paige Bueckers Day.’ I think about it as ‘Everybody Who Has Invested in Paige Day.’ And hopefully it can be a celebration for everyone and really not me.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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